AWR Helps Break World Record

Denver Gorilla Run 2009

Adventures Within Reach is excited to announce that we helped break the Guinness Book of World’s Record for “most people dressed up in gorilla suits”!  Our staff were part of the 1061 record-breaking “gorillas”.

It was a balmy day for the Denver Gorilla Run on October 31, 2009 and quite hot inside the gorilla suits.  The AWR staff were dressed as “safari” gorillas.  In the end, few of us ran in heat — most walked or rode bicycles.  It was a beautiful course through downtown Denver and along the river.

The sad part of the story is that there are only 740 gorillas left in the world. It was a harsh reality when standing altogether and realizing that there were fewer mountain gorillas than people ready to race.

AWR Breaks World Record

AWR is proud to support the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund. This great program has been dedicated to the preservation of the Mountain Gorilla ever since Dian Fossey asked for help back in 1985. AWR supports their efforts to keep the highly endangered Mountain Gorilla alive in the jungles of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

You can still donate to this great cause:

• http://www.active.com/donate/Gorillarun

Adventures Within Reach offers gorilla treks in Uganda and Rwanda.  We recommend a minimum of 11 days in Uganda, which also includes 2 days with chimpanzees.  You can visit the gorillas in as few as 3 days in Rwanda, but a longer is better to really enjoy the country.

Learn more about gorilla trekking in Uganda/Rwanda >>

AWR Supports the Mountain Gorillas in the Denver Gorilla Run

Adventures Within Reach will be joining the Denver Gorilla Run this Halloween (October 31, 2009) to raise money for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.

Gorilla Run Fundraiser

This is a 5.6k run through downtown Denver with everyone dressed up like gorillas!

This year’s race is particularly special as the race is attempting to establish a new Guinness World Records™ currently holding at 637 “People Dressed as Gorillas.”

The Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund has been dedicated to the preservation of the Mountain Gorilla ever since Dian Fossey asked for help back in 1985. AWR supports their efforts to keep the highly endangered Mountain Gorilla alive in the jungles of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

You can help!  You can donate to this great cause on-line with your credit card, or you can run with the AWR team in Denver!  Donate here and list “AWR” as who you are supporting:

• http://www.active.com/donate/Gorillarun

We’ll post our “gorilla” pictures in early November.

Learn more about gorilla trekking in Uganda/Rwanda >>

Free Gorilla Permits!

Book our 11-day “Best of Uganda” camping tour and get 1 free gorilla permit — a $515 value!

Gorillas in Uganda

This tour includes

• 1 day of gorilla tracking
• 2 days of chimpanzee tracking
• Tour of Jane Goodall Institute and Ngamba Island in Entebbe

Optional excursions after this tour include:

• 4 Days to Rwanda including Gorilla tracking and Golden Monkeys
• 3 Days to Bulago Island in Lake Victoria
• 4 Days to Murchison Falls

$3155/person

11-DAY UGANDA GORILLAS >>

Give the Gift of Adventure or Giving Back

Adventure all wrapped up!

Climbing Kilimanjaro

Is there someone on your Christmas list that likes adventure?  How about someone who is impossible to buy for?  Or maybe someone who cannot fit even one more thing into their tiny apartment?

If you know someone like this, we have the perfect gift — an AWR Gift Certificate!

Our gift certificates can be used on any trip or destination that we offer, including

• Trekking with gorillas in Rwanda
• Migration safari to the Serengeti
• Galapagos cruise
• Machu Picchu
• Everest Base Camp trek
• Climbing Kilimanjaro
• A visit to the Potala Palace in Lhasa
• Hiking to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan

It’s not too late to buy your friends and family the trip of a lifetime!

ORDER YOUR ADVENTURE GIFT >>

Gift of Giving Back

As you reflect on your great travels over the year, remember to help the local people where you visited.  Charities Within Reach helps the Shalom Orphanage in Tanzania, global porter projects, and Free A Child in Nepal.  Donate to these great projects and make a difference!

Gorilla Tracking in Uganda and Rwanda

AWR is excited to add Uganda and Rwanda gorilla tracking to our list of amazing places to visit!

Itineraries

We are currently offering two itineraries in Uganda and two in Rwanda.  However, we can also customize your itinerary to meet your interests and travel dates.

Gorilla permits are limited, so we recommend checking availability before booking your trip.

4 days Rwanda — Gorilla Trek + Dian Fossey’s Grave or Golden Monkeys

5 days Rwanda — Gorilla Trek + Dian Fossey’s Grave, Golden Monkeys, Karisimbi Volcano

6 days — Gorillas and Chimpanzees

11 days — Best of Uganda with Gorillas and Chimpanzees

Trekking to see the beautiful mountain gorillas

Gorilla Parks/Families

Gorillas live in four parks in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In Uganda they are seen in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi in Uganda has four habituated families with 32 permits available daily. The gorillas there live in thicker tropical forest and tracking is more challenging as the hillsides are steeper and it can take 3-10 hours. Three of the families (Mubare, Habinyanja, and Rushegura) are accessed from Buhoma in the north. The fourth family, in Nkuringo in Southern Bwindi, is accessed from Kisoro. Access to this group is on a very steep trail. Mgahinga, in Uganda, is a great place to appreciate the unique Virunga volcanoes and has one habituated family, which is about 2-5 hours walk. Sometimes this group moves across the border and viewing is very erratic. You can track gorillas at Nkuringo in Southern Bwindi instead which is about 2 hours drive away. There are eight permits available.

Parc National Des Volcans (PNV) in Rwanda has seven habituated gorilla families (Group 13, Sabinyo, Amahoro, Umubano, Susa, Kwitonda and Hirwa). Most groups are half-day walks but Susa can take 7 hours. There are 36 permits available daily. Tracking in PNV and Mgahinga is usually easier than Bwindi as the afro-montane forest is lighter.

Getting There

In Uganda, the airport is Entebbe in Kampala. In Rwanda, the airport is in Kigali. There are non-stop flights from various cities in Europe; Nairobi, Kenya; Kilimanjaro, Tanzania; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Addis Abba, Ethiopia.